Federal authorities are shutting down water releases for the San Joaquin River restoration, making the water available for 30,000 people in small communities who face the possibility of summer with dry taps.
The restoration releases, which began in 2009, won’t resume until at least March 2015, according to the federal Bureau of Reclamation, owner and operator of Friant Dam at Millerton Lake.
The communities include Orange Cove, Lindsay, Strathmore and Terra Bella, all of which buy river water from the Central Valley Project at Millerton. But like farm customers, they are expected to receive a zero allocation of water this record dry year.
There is no word yet on how much more the water would cost the small communities, but it could be up to $600 per acre-foot, which is several times more than the usual price.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/02/03/3749022/san-joaquin-river-restoration.html
